1 Ahemfo 3
1 Salomo ne Misraimhene Farao yɛɛ apam, nam so waree ne babaa. Ɔde no bɛtenaa Dawid kurom kɔsii sɛ ɔsii nʼahemfie, sii Awurade Asɔredan, na ɔtoo Yerusalem ho ɔfasuo nso wieeɛ.
Solomon went to see the king of Egypt. Solomon [made an agreement with him to] marry his daughter. They also made an alliance/agreement [that their armies would not attack each other]. Then Solomon brought the king’s daughter to live in [the part of Jerusalem called] ‘The City of David’. [She lived there] until Solomon’s workers had finished building his house and the temple of Yahweh and the wall around Jerusalem.
2 Saa ɛberɛ no mu, na Israelfoɔ gu so bɔ afɔdeɛ wɔ sorɔnsorɔmmea, ɛfiri sɛ, na wɔnsii asɔredan, mfaa Awurade din ntoo so.
[At that time] the temple of Yahweh had not yet been built, so the Israeli people were still offering sacrifices at many other places of worship.
3 Salomo kyerɛɛ ne dɔ a ɔwɔ maa Awurade, ɛfiri sɛ, na ɔnam nʼagya Dawid nkyerɛkyerɛ anammɔn so pɛpɛɛpɛ. Mmom na ɔbɔ afɔdeɛ wɔ sorɔnsorɔmmea hɔ, hye aduhwam wɔ hɔ nso.
Solomon loved Yahweh, and he obeyed all the instructions that his father David had given him. But he also offered sacrifices and burned incense at various altars.
4 Gibeon na na afɔrebukyia no mu atitire wɔ, ɛhɔ na Salomo kɔbɔɔ ɔhyeɛ afɔdeɛ apem wɔ afɔrebukyia so.
One day the king went to Gibeon [city] to offer a sacrifice there, because that was where the most famous/important altar was. In previous years he had offered hundreds of sacrifices on that altar.
5 Anadwo no, Awurade daa ne ho adi kyerɛɛ Salomo wɔ daeɛ mu. Onyankopɔn ka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Ɛdeɛn na wopɛ? Bisa na mede bɛma wo.”
That night, Yahweh appeared to him in a dream. He asked Solomon, “What would you like me to give to you?”
6 Salomo kaa sɛ, “Woada adɔeɛ kɛseɛ pa ara adi akyerɛ mʼagya Dawid, ɛfiri sɛ, na ɔdi wo nokorɛ, yɛ ɔteneneeni a nʼakoma mu nso da hɔ. Woatoa so ayɛ no saa adɔeɛ kɛseɛ yi ara, na ɛnnɛ yi ara, woama no ɔbabarima sɛ ɔntena nʼahennwa nso so.
Solomon replied, “You always greatly and faithfully loved my father David, who served you [well]. You did that because he (was faithful to/faithfully obeyed) you and acted righteously and honestly toward you. And you have showed how greatly and faithfully you loved him by giving to him me, his son, and now I am ruling [MTY] as he did [before he died].
7 “Afei, Ao Awurade, me Onyankopɔn, woasi wʼakoa ɔhene, sɛ mensi mʼagya Dawid anan mu, nanso meyɛ abɔfra ketewaa bi a mennim sɛdeɛ mɛsi ayɛ mʼadwuma.
“Now, Yahweh my God, you have appointed me to be the king like my father was. But I am [very young, like] a little child [MET]. I do not know how to lead/rule my people at all [IDM].
8 Ɛha na wʼakoa abɛduru wɔ nnipa a woapa wɔn no mu; nnipa a wɔn dodoɔ enti, obi ntumi nkan wɔn.
I am here among the people whom you have chosen. They are a very large group of people; there are very, very many of them, with the result that no one can count them [DOU].
9 Ɛno enti, ma wʼakoa nhunumu akoma a ɔbɛtumi de adi wo nkurɔfoɔ so, na ɔbɛtumi ahunu papa ne bɔne ntam nsonsonoeɛ. Na hwan koraa na ɔno nko ara bɛtumi adi saa ɔman a wɔdi mu, a wɔyɛ wo dea yi so?”
So please enable me to think clearly, in order that I may rule your people [well]. Enable me to know what is good and what is evil. [If you do not do that, ] I will never [RHQ] be able to rule this great group of people who belong to you.”
10 Awurade ani sɔɔ Salomo mmuaeɛ no, na nʼani gyee sɛ ɔbisaa nyansa.
Yahweh was very pleased that Solomon had requested that.
11 Enti, Awurade buaa sɛ, “Esiane sɛ woabisa nyansa a wode bɛdi me manfoɔ so, na woammisa nkwa tenten anaa sika amma wo ho anaa woammisa sɛ wo ɔtamfoɔ bi nwu no enti,
God said to him, “You did not request that you live for many years or that you become very rich or that you be able to kill all your enemies. Instead, you have requested that I enable you to be wise, in order that you will be able to know [and to do] what is right [while you govern these people].
12 mede deɛ woabisa no bɛma wo. Mɛma wo nyansa ne nteaseɛ a obiara nnyaa bi da, na obiara nso nnya bi da.
So, I will certainly do what you requested. I will enable you to be very wise [DOU]. The result will be that no one who has lived before you or who will live after you will be as [wise as] you are.
13 Na deɛ woammisa no nso, mede bɛka wo ho—sika ne animuonyam. Na ɔhene biara a ɔwɔ ewiase nso rentumi mfa ne ho nto wo ho, wo nkwa nna nyinaa mu.
I will also give you things that you did not request: I will enable you to become very rich and honored, as long as you live. You will be richer and more honored than any other king.
14 Na sɛ wodi mʼakyi, na wodi me mmara so sɛ wʼagya Dawid a, mɛma wo nkwa tenten.”
If you conduct your life [IDM] as I want you to, and if you obey all my laws and commandments, as your father David did, I will enable you to live for many years.”
15 Na Salomo nyaneeɛ, na ɔhunuu sɛ ɛyɛ daeɛ. Ɔkɔɔ Yerusalem kɔgyinaa Awurade Apam Adaka no anim, na ɔbɔɔ ɔhyeɛ afɔdeɛ ne asomdwoeɛ afɔdeɛ. Na ɔhyiaa ne mpanimfoɔ nyinaa, too wɔn ɛpono.
Then Solomon awoke, and he realized that [God had spoken to him in] a dream. Then he went to Jerusalem and stood in front of [the Sacred Tent where] the Sacred Chest [was], and he offered many sacrifices that were completely burned [on the altar] and offerings to maintain fellowship with Yahweh. Then he made a feast for all his officials.
16 Akyire yi, mmaa nnwamanfoɔ baanu bi baa ɔhene no nkyɛn, pɛɛ sɛ ɔka wɔn asɛm bi ma wɔn.
One day two prostitutes came and stood in front of King Solomon.
17 Wɔn mu baako hyɛɛ aseɛ sɛ, “Me wura, mesrɛ wo meka sɛ, saa ɔbaa yi ne me te fi korɔ mu. Mewoo ɔba ɛberɛ a ɔne me te efie hɔ.
One of them said, “Your Majesty, this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a baby while she was there in the house.
18 Nnansa akyi no, ɔno nso woo ba. Na yɛn nko ara na yɛte fie hɔ a obiara nka yɛn baanu ho.
Three days after my baby was born, this woman also gave birth to a baby. Only the two of us were in the house; there was no one else there.
19 “Nanso, anadwo no, ɔpere kɔdaa ne ba no so, kumm no.
“But one night this woman’s baby died because she [accidentally] rolled on top of her baby [while sleeping and smothered it].
20 Na ɔsɔree anadwo no faa me ba firii me nkyɛn ɛberɛ a mada. Ɔde ne ba a wawu no too mʼabasa so, na ɔfaa me deɛ no kɔtoo ne nkyɛn, ma ɔdaeɛ.
So she got up at midnight and took my baby boy who was lying beside me while I was sleeping. She carried him to her bed and brought her dead baby and put it in my bed.
21 Adeɛ kyeeɛ a mepɛɛ sɛ mema me ba no nufoɔ no, na wawu. Nanso, anim tetee kakra a mehwɛɛ abɔfra no yie no, mehunuu sɛ, ɛnyɛ me ba no koraa.”
When I awoke the next morning and was ready to nurse my baby, I saw that it was dead. But when I looked at it closely in the morning light, I saw that it was not my baby!”
22 Ɛhɔ ara na ɔbaa baako no gyee hwanyan kaa sɛ, “Abɔfra a wawuo no yɛ wo ba no, ɛnna deɛ ɔnwuiɛ no nso yɛ me deɛ no.” Ɛnna ɔbaa a ɔdi ɛkan no nso se, “Dabi, deɛ wawuo no yɛ wo ba no, ɛnna deɛ ɔnwuiɛ no nso yɛ me deɛ no.” Enti, wɔtwee asɛm no saa ara wɔ ɔhene no anim.
But the other woman said, “That is not true! The baby that is alive is mine, and the baby that is dead is yours!” Then the first woman said, “No, the dead baby is yours, and the one that is alive is mine!” And they continued to argue in front of the king.
23 Ɔhene no kaa sɛ, “Momma yɛmpɛ asɛm no mu nokorɛ yie. Mo baanu nyinaa, obiara se abɔfra a ɔnwuiɛ no yɛ ne dea, na abɔfra a wawuo no deɛ, ɔnyɛ obiara dea.
Then the king said, “Both of you are saying, ‘My baby is the one that is alive and the one that is dead is yours.’”
24 “Sɛ saa na ɛte deɛ a, mommrɛ me akofena.” Enti, wɔde akofena brɛɛ ɔhene no.
So he said to one of his servants, “Bring me a sword.” So the servant brought a sword to the king.
25 Afei, ɔkaa sɛ, “Mompae abɔfra a ɔnwuiɛ no mu mmienu, na momfa ɛfa mma mmaa no mu biara.”
Then the king said to the servant, “Cut the baby that is alive into two parts. Give one part to each of the women.”
26 Na ɔbaa a nokorɛm, ɔyɛ abɔfra a ɔte ase no maame a ɔpɛ ne ba yi asɛm yie no teateaam sɛ, “Ao! Dabi me wura! Fa abɔfra no ma no. Mesrɛ wo nku no!” Nanso, ɔbaa baako no kaa sɛ, “Ɛyɛ, ɛbɛbɔ yɛn baanu nyinaa. Kyɛ ne mu ma yɛn!”
But the woman whose baby was alive loved her baby very much, so she said to the king, “No, Your Majesty! Do not allow him to kill the baby! Give her the child that is alive!” But the other woman said to the king, “No, cut it in half. Then it will not be her baby or my baby.”
27 Ɛhɔ na ɔhene no kaa sɛ, “Monnku no, na mmom, momfa abɔfra no mma ɔbaa a ɔpɛ sɛ abɔfra no tena ase no, na ɔno ne ne maame no.”
Then the king said to the servant, “Do not kill the baby. Give the baby to the woman who said ‘Do not cut the baby in half,’ because she is truly the baby’s mother.”
28 Ɔhene yi atemmuo no trɛ faa Israel mmaa nyinaa, na ɔmanfoɔ no ho dwirii wɔn wɔ nyansabun a Onyankopɔn de ama no, a ɛma no bu atɛntenenee no ho.
All the Israeli people heard about what the king had decided, and they revered him. They realized that God had truly enabled him to be very wise, to judge people’s matters fairly.
